


JWP 2019 #22: Sweet Tooth

by methylviolet10b



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Between cases, Gen, Holmes in France, Prompt Fic, Slice of Life, Unlikely baking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-11 20:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19934023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/methylviolet10b/pseuds/methylviolet10b
Summary: If he does not have a case, Holmes dines in France as if he were a Frenchman.





	JWP 2019 #22: Sweet Tooth

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Almost completely but not quite entirely absurd. And written in a huge rush. You have been warned.
> 
> Prompt: Sweet tooth: Today's entry should include candy/dessert/sugar/chocolate in some way.

Holmes in France is a different man than the Holmes in London, or in any other place abroad that we have travelled together. In France, Holmes not only speaks the language as well as any native, but he dines more like a Frenchman than anything like his usual eating habits – if he has no active case. He will indulge in wines, linger over a multi-course meal, and savor the rich, beautiful desserts, appreciating it all with refined taste and the knowledge of a gourmand.

Tonight, however, he stared fixedly at the beautifully-decorated gâteau the waiter had placed in the center of our table without reaching for his fork. I could see nothing amiss, but I recognized the expression on my friend’s face – the one he wore when unexpectedly encountering a case of interest.

“What is it?” I asked quietly in English, trusting the sound of other conversations in the famous French establishment to mask my query.

“Foxglove, monkshood, lily-of-the-valley, nightshade… I don’t recognize all of the flowers, but every one I do recognize is extremely poisonous,” Holmes muttered. “I believe I would like a word with the pâtissier.”

Perhaps fortunately for both my appetite and my peace of mind, the pâtissier was delighted to emerge from his kitchen and converse with Monsieur Holmes. It turned out the fellow was a cousin of Inspector Villard, and a great admirer of both my friend and my own stories. Having heard that Holmes was likely to dine at the establishment, he had asked to be informed if Holmes should indeed appear. He had spent hours preparing specific decorations in sugar-paste and marzipan just in case.

Holmes professed himself flattered, and moved the pâtissier to tears by insisting that the man join us in enjoying the fruits of his labors. I did not need Holmes’ quiet sign to avoid tasting the treat until much later in the evening, after Holmes had feigned eating the first bites, the creator had consumed his portion (along with a great deal of fine brandy), and enough time had passed that we were both reassured there was nothing truly toxic in the creation.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted July 22, 2019.


End file.
